Last week's recovery block has come and gone. It was good to rest and relax for a week with only minimal riding obligations to attend to. I also kicked out a solid CP30 effort on Sunday, which bodes well for the coming build phases of my training. My goal this year is to put out 305 watts for 30 minutes. We'll see if my engine is capable of such prodigious power outputs. With an eye on that objective, my training for the the next few weeks transitions to more intense efforts with some long intervals just below threshold and some low RPM (~60 rpms) force intervals to transition the strength I have developed in the gym over the past few months into usable strength on the bike.
The weather continues to surprise, baffle, and astonish. This week we were hit with "Arctic Blast 2007." Gotta love the spin (read, hype) the media outlets use. Snow and temps in the teens. Again, the worst of it hit during rush hour so people were abandoning their cars on I-90 in the Issaquah area. It's times like these I absolutely love my trusty (for the most part) Jeep. I'm also glad I grew up in the snow-belt in Ohio (did I just say that?) and am comfortable driving in adverse conditions. The snow and less than optimal riding conditions will make training this weekend a creative endeavor that may involve some mix of the trainer, mountain biking on snowy roads, and hopefully some frozen singeltrack.
I've also been working on my travel plans for the upcoming season. Lining up flights, hotels, transportation, etc. I'm hoping I can save some coin this year by getting stuff booked early. I stumbled upon a useful site that predicts what airfares are going to do and provides a recommendation of whether to book now or wait. It is called Farecast and can be found at www.farecast.com The NORBA dates are posted, but the event schedules are not available yet. It makes it tough to book flights when you don't know if the XC race is at 8am on Saturday or 12pm on Sunday. Frustrating. I do know I'm doing all three endurance events at Sea Otter including the XC, Short Track XC, and, my personal favorite, the Time Trial. I am really looking forward to Sea Otter this year. First, because SLR is coming with. Second, it is an absolutely huge celebration of all things bicycle and is really something that all bike junkies need to experience at least once. I have my fingers crossed that mother nature will bless the weekend with good weather unlike last year. Plus, I think I will have paid my dues by enduring this rough winter in the NW.
Got word that both Tifosi Optics and Crankbrothers will be sponsoring me again for next year. Both companies make products that outperform the competition, while doing so at a lower price. Even if Tifosi didn't sponsor me, I would race in their Q3 model. They fit me like a glove and are bomb proof. Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedals are by far the best performing pedals in the slop and mud of the NW. This year I think I'm going to go with some Four Ti Eggbeaters to shave even more weight from my rigs. They are ridiculously light, coming in at half of what other pedals weigh. I am only waiting on one more sponsor and if they come through I will have the same lineup as last year. I guess that means I'm doing something right.
Blue Star
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